Cuba-to-Florida swimmer Diana Nyad to write memoir

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Diana Nyad, the first person to complete the treacherous swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, will write a book about her record-breaking achievement and her life, publisher Alfred A. Knopf said on Monday.

After swimming for 53 hours, Nyad, 64, finished the historic 110-mile (177-km) swim and arrived in Key West, Florida, on September 2. It was her fifth attempt.

"Her book will tell the story of an epic journey, and a quest, in the ocean and on land, to live life at the highest level," said Jordan Pavlin, executive editor at Knopf.

The as yet untitled book is scheduled to be published in 2015.

Last month, Nyad raised more than $100,000 for victims of Hurricane Sandy in a two-day charity swim in a pool in New York City. Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte and some Sandy victims and first responders from the U.S. Coast Guard and New York police and fire department swam alongside her.